Second Chances
by Twiki99
Summary: What happens when Shuttle pod One disappears with the Captain for an hour, and how will Trip and the crew adjust with what they find when it reappears?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Second Chances  
Author: Twiki99  
Date Posted: May 2012  
Rating: K  
Codes: J Archer/T Tucker  
Archive: Here anywhere else. Please ask first  
Disclaimer: _Paramount and Viacom own Star Trek and all Characters of Star Trek. The story is mine. I am not making a dime on this. I am doing this and other stories for purely mine and others enjoyment._

Summary: What happens when Shuttle pod One disappears with the Captain for an hour, and how will Trip and the crew adjust with what they find when it reappears?. Feedback is welcome.

Chapter 1

There was a weird silence on the bridge as they all saw the shuttle disappear into the anomaly, taking their captain with it. T'Pol was the first to speak as she calmly said

"Mr Reed, are there any readings on the shuttle?"

"No sub commander, It has just disappeared."

The Brit said in disbelief. Now Trip spoke from behind him and said

"We need to find the Cap'n...need to scan that thing again."

It was obvious he was worried. The Captain was his best friend and he didn't like the idea that he had insisted on going alone to check that thing out. He could still hear Jon's words as they had walked to the shuttle bay.

"_You can't go alone...let me come with you."_

"_Trip, nothing will happen, and I need you on the bridge to make sure nothing goes wrong with the engines. You know that last run in we had did some damage to the warp coils."_

"_But Cap'n that can be handled by Hess.."_

_But before he could continue, Jon laid his hand on his shoulder and said_

"_Trip please...I just need a little time to myself is all. It will be okay."_

_Trip looked at his friend and captain and saw the sorrow in his green eyes. He knew the news of the death of Admiral Forrest had hit him hard. He had looked up to the Admiral, who had taken a young Archer under his wing and mentored him after his dad had died. It had been like losing his father all over again. They had reached the shuttle bay and were now standing outside of the shuttle. Trip laid his hand on Jon's shoulder and said_

"_I know how you feel and this need to go off by yourself, and I respect your feelings, but I can't help but have a strange feeling about this...that something bad is gonna happen."_

_Jon smiled at his friend and said_

"_Don't worry, Trip, I'll be careful and who knows, maybe that thing out there has some secrets to give up."_

_Even after the horrors they had gone through in the Expanse and the things they had been forced to do to accomplish their mission, Jon had never really lost his need to explore and still found new wonders exciting. Granted he wasn't the same man who had taken command of the first warp five starship, but deep down he still had the yearning to see new things. There had been times during the hunt for the Xindi weapon and their mission to save Earth, that Trip had wondered if the same Jonathan Archer still existed. Maybe this was also his way of coming back. Trip knew that Jon had to make some difficult decisions and he also had seen the toll it had taken on his best friend. It had broke his heart to see the pain Jon had endured to keep them all together and focused on the mission. There had been times when the old Jon had completely disappeared and that had scared Trip so much. He was afraid that the old Jon was completely gone. But since their return to Earth, slowly he had seen the old Jon peaking out and that had thrilled him._

_Now Jon was climbing into the shuttle and he said_

"_I'll only be out there for an hour to get as many readings as possible, don't worry so."_

_He had then given Trip a wide smile and closed the shuttle door. Trip had retreated to the door so the bay could de pressurize for launch. He still had a nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen, but he tried to push that feeling aside as he watch the shuttle lift off and out of the bay. His last thought before returning to the bridge was 'Be careful Jon...We need you'_

Now Trip was on the bridge and feeling helpless. What had happened to Jon? Was he okay? He saw T'Pol go to her science station and begin to check readings. To anyone who didn't know her she looked completely detached, but he knew better. The set of her shoulders and the way she looked. He could see she was worried. In the five years they had served together, T'Pol had become an important member of the crew and she had grown quite close to the captain. Her friendship and trust in the human was something that was legendary. Several times she had come to their rescue when the Vulcan High Command had tried to derail them. She had always stood by the captain and the crew, even though when they had first started out, most of the Humans had distrusted her. It had taken a long while for them to trust her, but it had been the Captain who had done so first. Trip had followed suit, and now they enjoyed a relationship that could be considered romantic. He knew he had deep feelings for her, and he was sure she had for him. It was the way he had caught her looking at him when she thought he didn't know. And how she had helped him through the death of his sister, Lizzie, had been the beginnings of their bond. They had drawn closer at the death of their daughter Elizabeth and had grieved together. He wasn't sure what the outcome would be, but he hoped that they had some type of future.

Now she turned and addressed Ensign Mayweather

"Please hold our position here.."

Turning to Malcolm she continued

"Lt Reed please continue scanning the area for any signs of the shuttle...I'll be in the captain ready room if you need me or find anything."

Before she left the bridge, she locked eyes with Trip and he saw the pain in them. She then turned and headed to the ready room. It only took a couple of minutes for Trip to follow her. When he entered, he saw her standing by the port much in the same spot that Archer would stand. He watched her a moment before coming up behind her and gently laying a hand on her shoulder. For a moment, she didn't move but then she turned and he saw...a tear trickle down her cheek. She quickly raised her hand and wiped it away, but he saw the pain and despair in those lovely brown eyes. He pulled her into his embrace and for a moment she stiffened, but then she relaxed into the embrace and allowed him to comfort her.

"Don't worry darlin' He'll be found. Jon's not one to be lost and not try to get back."

She finally looked up at him and softly said

"I am aware of that fact...but I feel responsible. I should have insisted that he take someone with him."

"Now you know how stubborn he can be. And besides, if someone else had gone we'd be searching for both."

Trip again drew her back into his arms and this time she didn't protest. She was surprised at how safe she felt in his arms. This human who had made her early days on board Enterprise so difficult had turned into a true friend and just maybe...She knew it wasn't logical but it felt right. They stood there for several minutes like this, each drawing strength from each other as the bond between them seem to strengthen. Then, T'Pol stepped back and said

"Commander...Trip...Thank you for the..."

But she wasn't sure what she was thanking him for. He looked down at her and smiled that lazy grin at her and said

"My pleasure darlin' and don't worry, we'll find Jon."

Again she drew strength from his words and then straighten and said

"I know we will. If he were dead..."

She paused and then continued

"I would feel it. We share a bond of friendship and although not as strong as the mating bond..."

She looked at him and he felt a surge of emotions from her...

"It is strong enough to be able to know that the captain is still alive, although I can not ascertain his condition."

He again grinned at her and said

"That's what I want to hear, Jon's okay and we will find him."

He took her hand in his and lightly rubbed his thumb over it. She felt the surge of emotions from him and returned her's to him. For just a moment longer, they held each others eyes and then Trip said

"I'll go see what Malcolm has come up with."

He raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. And then he had turned and strode out of the ready room and back to the bridge. She had watched as the door slide shut and then had raised her hand to her cheek and lightly drew it along her cheek and did something very unvulcan like...she sighed and allowed another tear to escape.

It had been two hours and they had found nothing. Both Trip and Malcolm were getting frustrated and had begun snapping at each other when they heard Hoshi's slight intake of breath. They both looked over to the communications officer and saw she was staring at the view screen. In unison, they both turned and saw that the anomaly seemed to be fluctuating. Malcolm opened a com and said

"Sub commander please report to the bridge."

Within moments the Vulcan appeared out of the ready room and strode to the captain's chair.

"Sub commander, there seems to be a disturbance within the anomaly."

She walked to her station and began to scan it. After a moment she turned back to the screen and watched as it began to ripple and then they all saw the shuttle emerge from it and hang there in space. A collective sigh of relief could be felt on the bridge. Calmly she turned to Ensign Sato and said

"Can you raise the captain?"

Hoshi turned and began to try and hail the shuttle. After a couple of minutes she turned with frustration on her features as she said

"No response. The channel is open and I can hear background noises but I can't seem to raise the Captain. I can hear what almost sounds like...whimpering?"

T'Pol raised one of her elegant eyebrows and then said

"Can we grapple the shuttle in?"

Malcolm nodded and she said

"Lt bring the shuttle into the docking bay."

She turned to Hoshi and said

"Contact Dr Phlox and have him meet us in shuttle bay two."

She turned to Trip and said

"Commander will you accompany me. Lt Reed you have the bridge."

Trip followed her off the bridge as Malcolm began grappling the shuttle into the bay. When they arrived, Dr Phlox was already there waiting for the bay to pressurize. Once it had, they all went in and went to the shuttle. Trip opened the door and climbed in, with the doctor and T'Pol on his heels. They could all now hear the whimpering and it sounded like crying. But the captain was no where to be seen. Where was he? Trip cautiously moved towards the crying, which seem to be coming from the pilots seat. When he got there, he looked and what he saw startled him to his core. For there on the large pilot seat was a small child, maybe five years old. He had sandy brown hair and when he looked at Trip he saw that he had deep green eyes. The child was most certainly scared and immediately he reached out his arms to be picked up, the tears freely flowing down his cheeks. But the most alarming thing was he was almost swallowed up in a blue uniform. Trip only took a moment to regain his composer as he lifted the child up and felt the tiny arms and legs engulf him. The child had begun to cling to him and he automatically began comforting him. Dr Phlox has begun to run a scan and his face took on a worried look. Trip turned to the doctor and said

"Doc...What happened? How did this child get into the shuttle pod? Where's the captain?"

After a moment Phlox said

"I'm afraid, Commander, that you are holding him."

"What are ya sayin'?"

He turned to look at T'Pol who had just raised both eyebrows.

"I'm saying that this is the captain. The DNA matches exactly with the captain. How this happened though is a mystery. I will need to run some tests in sickbay."

The doctor reached for the child, but he clung tighter to Trip so the doctor said

"He seems comfortable with you Commander. I suggest we take him to sickbay."

They all climbed out of the shuttle and then moved off to sickbay. Luckily they met no one on the way. Trip wasn't sure on how to explain this to the crew. When they arrived, Trip tried to place the child down on the bio-bed, but he would have none of that. He clutched at him so Trip finally hopped up on the bed and placed the captain on his lap. He looked down at him and said

"We need to get him dressed in something that fits better."

Phlox nodded and went to the storage room and rummaged around and soon returned with a pair of sickbay pants and top.

"They're not exactly meant for a child, but its the smallest I can find."

Trip began to take the captain's uniform off. When he did the captain whimpered again and Trip said soothingly

"Jon...Jonny we need to get you into something that fits better."

He looked at Trip and then turned and looked at T'Pol with a look of hesitation on his face. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious he didn't want an audience. T'Pol raised an eyebrow and then turned and left them with Phlox in tow. They retreated to the other side of sickbay and began to talk in hushed tones. Trip was able to take the uniform off and get Jonny into the pants. They were too big, but luckily they had a drawstring and he rolled the legs up so they come just above his ankles. The shirt almost swallowed him up but with a little adjustments it would work. Once he was done, he folded the uniform up and placed it at the bottom of the bed. He stood back a little and surveyed the child. He looked a little better. Jonny was watching him and those green eyes held a look of confusion and fear. Trip smiled at him and after a moment Jonny smiled back. After a moment Jonny leaned forward and whisper

"Like you."

Trip smiled again and said

"Well I like you too."

Jonny again smiled but it then turned to a sad face as he said

"Where's my mommy and daddy? Are they lost?"

Trip looked at him and said

"No...no they aren't lost..."

Jonny looked scared and said

"Am I lost?"

"No you are not lost...you're just on an...adventure."

Trip was at a loss as to what he should tell Jon. How could he explain that he was actually a grown man and captain of this ship? He didn't have a chance to continue as Dr Phlox entered and said

"I see you have gotten...Jonny dressed. Now we can run those tests."

He cheerfully began running the scanner over the captain. But the captain was not too thrilled with the doctor. He shied away and looked at Trip. Phlox stopped and said

"Now Cap...Jonny, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you, I just need to run some tests is all."

Jonny looked at the doctor with suspicion and said to Trip

"He looks funny, he's not from Earth is he?"

Before Trip could answer, Phlox smiled and said

"No I'm not. I was born on a planet called Denoblia and that's why I look funny."

He smiled again and continued

"I am the chief medical officer on this fine Earth vessel and as such I'm responsible for the health of all on board."

Jonny seemed to be warming up to the doctor. He said shyly

"You're not going to hurt me?"

Phlox said kindly

"No no I'm not."

Jonny finally relaxed and let the doctor run his tests. He wasn't to keen on letting him put him in the imaging chamber, but after both Phlox and Trip said it would make a picture of his insides, the curiosity was too much to deny and he let them put him through it. When he had come out in one piece and in no pain he decided the doctor was okay. He had sat on the bio bed staring at the images of him, fascinated. Trip and the doctor had discussed the tests and Phlox had said he needed twenty four hours to come to any concussion. Phlox had wanted the captain to stay in sickbay, but at the look on Jonny's face and the determination on Trip's face he had agreed that the captain would be more comfortable in his own quarters with Trip. They had decided that T'Pol would make a ship wide announcement on the captains condition as soon as Trip had him safely in his quarters where he would not hear it.

They had reached his quarters and as Trip reached to open the door, Jonny took and wrapped his arms around Trip's neck and buried his face into his neck.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Trip was just about to enter Jon's code into the keypad when Jonny suddenly buried his head into his shoulder.

"What's wrong Jonny?"

"I'm scared"

Came the answer. Trip didn't know what to make of this so he placed Jonny down and knelt in front of him and said

"What are you scared of?"

For a moment the child didn't answer, but then he said in a small voice

"I've never been away from home without my mommy and daddy. Did I do something bad? Are they mad at me to send me away?"

Trip's heart ached and he drew the child close in a hug and said

"No, no they are not mad at you and you did nothing bad..."

He wasn't sure how to proceed but he said

"They just...asked me to watch over you while...while they went on...a vacation."

Trip knew it sounded lame, but he hoped it would satisfy a small child. Jonny looked at him and wiped the tears that had started to flow and said

"They went on a vacation without me?"

He looked like he was going to cry again and Trip scrambled to say

"Well, your daddy wanted you to see a starship and your mommy wanted you to have some fun..."

He looked at the child and saw the idea settling in. Even as a small child it seemed that Jonathan Archer was born to be an explorer. His eyes seemed to brighten as he said

"This is a real starship?"

Trip let out a breath and said

"Yes this is a real starship."

Jonny leaned a little closer to Trip and said

"When I grow up I want to be in Star Fleet and be a captain of a starship. My daddy is working on a very fast engine. He tells me stories of someday being able to go really fast. I want to be able to explore the stars."

He finished with a smile and Trip smiled at him as he said

"I know someday that will all come true and you will get the chance to explore all the wonders your daddy has told you about."

Jonny just hugged him and then Trip stood and holding to Jonny's hand he again went to open the door.

As the door opened and they stepped into the Captain's quarters, a small beagle came running up to them, but stopped short and sat down and, cocking his head, he looked at Jonny. The smell was correct, but the package was all wrong. Porthos was looking at the small boy. He smelled the scent of his master, but he wasn't sure who it was that stood there. Jonny looked at the dog and said

"Oh, is he your dog? I love dogs and have one at home. His name is Flash."

Trip smiled and said

"No he belongs the the Cap'n and his name is Porthos."

At the sound of his name, Porthos came over and began to sniff Jonny. Jonny got down on the deck and allowed the dog to sniff him. After a moment, Porthos had decided it truly was his master even it he was smaller and began licking his face and jumping into his lap. Jonny began laughing and rolling on the floor with the animal, who seemed content to be playing with his master. Trip watched and began to realized he'd seen Jon do this so many times, rolling on the floor playing with Porthos. As the two continued to rough house, he went over the computer and called up to the quartermaster and requested some clothing to be made for Jonny. T'Pol had made the ship-wide announcement so the quartermaster just said that he'd already started on some essentials for the captain. Next he asked for a cot to be brought to the captain's quarters. Jonny was still chasing Porthos around the room and laughing and Trip decided it was time to stop the chase. As Jonny ran past him, he grabbed him up in his arms and said

"Whoa there, enough running"

Trip was smiling at the child, who was giggling and breathless. He had a blush on his cheeks and seemed happy.

"You like Porthos?"

"Oh yes."

Looking at the dog who was standing now at Trip's feet tail wagging happily Trip said

"Well I think he likes you too."

"Flash doesn't play much. Daddy says he's too old to be running, but I still love him. He likes to sleep with me though."

"Well, Porthos loves to play."

Trip said as he reached down and scratched behind the pup's ears, which just made that tail wag more.

At that point the announcer chimed and Trip turned and pushed the opener and said

"Come"

The door opened and a couple of stewards came in with the clothes and cot. Trip got up and helped them set up the cot as Jonny sat on the bed and watched. After they were through, one of the men said

"We heard what happened and..."

Before he could continue, Trip made a sound and the man stopped and said

"Sorry sir..."

He looked at the captain who now was a five year old boy and said

"The quartermaster sent you some things and hopes they fit."

It was plain to Trip that the two men were not at ease with the situation so he said in more of a command tone than he had wanted to

"I'm sure they will be fine... We know this is hard to deal with, but everything will be okay...dismissed."

The two nodded and left the captain's quarters. Trip sighed and wondered if everyone would react to the situation the same way? Captain Archer was really the backbone of the crew and was seen as a pillar of strength and leadership. Now as a small boy, it was going to be hard for the crew to relate to him. He hoped that the senior officers could smooth that with their departments. He knew he was going to speak to his engineering crew as soon as he could about the situation.

He turned to Jonny and said

"Well, are you hungry?"

Jonny nodded and Trip continued

"Well then let's see if these clothes fit and we can go to the mess and see what chef has today, what do you think?"

The boy nodded and then picked up a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Trip came over and helped him get out of the oversized things he had on and helped him dress. The clothes seem to fit well and Trip went into the bathroom and came back out with a brush and began to comb Jonny's hair. It was a lot longer than Jon's and it felt silky soft. Once he was satisfied that the boy looked presentable, He took the brush back into the bathroom and then came back to the main room.

"Can Porthos come too?"

Trip smiled and said

"I think we better leave Porthos here."

At the sad look on Jonny's face he said

"But maybe we can take him for a walk later this afternoon what do you say?"

At the smile that lit up that little face, Trip had to push down a wave of sadness. The smile was pure Jon and he said to himself 'We'll find a way to get you back Jon'

"Come on lets go."

Jonny walked over to him and as they started to the door, Trip felt a small hand tug at his pant-leg. He stopped and looked down at Jonny who said

"Excuse me, but what's your name?"

Trip chucked as he realized this Jon didn't know him.

"Charles Tucker the Third, but you can call me Trip."

Jonny thought a moment then said

"Trip?"

"Yeah...the third...triple...Trip."

It took him only a moment to connect on the reference but then he grinned a large boyish grin and said

"Trip...I like it."

So they left the captain's quarters and headed to the mess hall. When they got there, there was a full compliment of crew members having lunch and the normal din as conversations were carried on. When the doors opened, Trip surveyed the room, making sure no one scared the boy, but he seemed oblivious to the sudden silence that come over the room. He happily skipped in and said a little more loudly than Trip had hoped for

"Hi!"

Jonny went to the first table he spied and began talking excitedly to the people sitting there. Luckily the table contained Travis and Hoshi.

"Did you know we are on a real star ship? My daddy is building a big engine that will go really fast...When I grow up I want to be in Star Fleet and visit all kinds of new places..."

Before he could continue, Trip was next to him and said

"Jonny..."

But Hoshi just smiled at the child and said

"And I'll bet you will be one of the first to be out among the stars too."

At that Jonny's smile lit up the mess hall as he continued

"I want to be a star ship captain and be able to see all the stars my daddy has told me about too."

Trip began looking around and he saw the smiles on the faces of the crew and noticeably relaxed. The smiles were all happy smiles and he did not see anything that would show any contempt to the situation. It was then he realized just how much the crew looked up to the captain. Maybe the crew would be okay with this. He turned his attention back to the table and now Travis was telling Jonny how he had grown up on a ship and was called a boomer. Jonny seemed thrilled at the tale. He was duly impressed that Travis had spent his time in space. Finally Trip said

"Jonny, we need to get lunch now."

He indicated that Jonny was to follow him, but Jonny said

"Can't we eat with Travis and Hoshi?"

He seemed sad that he couldn't stay with his new friends, but Travis said

"We need to be getting back to the bridge...maybe next time we can."

At the mention of the bridge, Jonny looked at Trip and said

"Can we visit the bridge...can we?"

Trip smiled and said

"Maybe. Now lets get something to eat."

He reached out and took the boy's hand and smile at Hoshi and Travis and led the way to the Captain's private mess. He entered the code and the doors swished open. They walked in and again Jonny pulled at his pant leg. Trip looked down at him and saw an amazed look on the boy's face as he said

"Is this all yours?"

He smiled and said

"No, this is the captain's private dining room. Nice huh?"

Jonny looked a little scared as he said in a loud whisper

"Won't he be mad if he finds us here?"

Trip squatted down so he was at eye level with the boy and smiled and said

"Nah, the cap'n is my best friend and he won't mind."

Jonny didn't seem all that sure, but he decided that Trip must be a very good friend for the captain to let him use his private dining room. Trip picked him up and sat him in his usual chair but found that he didn't quite reach to the table.

"Hmm...we need something to boost you up don't we?"

He went to the buzzer and rang for the steward, who came in after a moment.

"Hey, we're gonna need something to boost Jonny up, got anything in stores to help?"

The steward thought for a moment and then said

"I think I know just the thing, be right back sirs."

He turned and disappeared. Trip hadn't missed the reference to Jonny as sir, but Jonny seemed not to notice. That was something else he'd need to address with the crew. He didn't want anything to upset the child. The steward came back with a thick cushion and as Trip raised Jonny the steward placed the cushion on the chair. Trip lowered Jonny back down and he seemed to be at the right height to access things that would be placed on the table. Trip smiled and said

"Just right thanks."

He sat down in his normal seat and said

"What's on the menu today?"

The steward said

"Chef has prepared a nice stir fry with chicken and also we have a vegetarian pasta salad."

Trip said

"I'll have the stir fry and..."

He looked at Jonny and saw a screwed up 'yucky' face and suddenly realized that a five year old would not eat the same things the Captain would.

"Um...what would you like Jonny?"

"I want a cheeseburger and french fries."

Trip looked at the steward and raised his eyebrow much like T'Pol would but the steward just smiled and said

"I'll see if chef can do that."

He left and then after a moment came back and said

"Chef said he could do it, but he also said he'd appreciate advanced notice in the future as to the...likes of..."

He trailed off and Trip said

"Tell chef thank you and I'll get him a list before dinner."

The steward nodded and then went to place their orders. Trip eyed the captain and then said

"So what do you like to eat?"

He knew that Jon's taste were simple but healthy, but wasn't sure what the child would like.

Jonny looked at him and said

"At home mommy makes lots of good stuff."

"Like what?"

Trip had never had the pleasure of meeting Jon's parents as they had already passed on before he had met Jon.

"My mommy makes the best meat loaf and mashed potatoes. And fried chicken and biscuits and for special times we have a roast with all kinds of good vegetables."

"That sounds like good dinners, but what about lunches?"

"Well mommy usually makes me sandwiches."

"What kind?"

"My favorite is peanut butter and jam. Did you know she makes her own jam? She also makes me mac and cheese."

Trip smiled as he had often seen Jon eating a plate of mac and cheese and remembered he'd called it 'comfort food' Well this didn't seem like it would be to much extra work for chef after all. The steward returned with their meals. Trip smiled as he noticed that chef had even included a small bowl of ketchup for Jonny to dip his fries in. They settled in to a good meal and each seemed to enjoy it.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They had taken Porthos for a walk, or rather a run. It had taken Trip a lot just to keep up with the dog and boy, who seemed to be reveling in the 'run' Once they got back to Jon's cabin, the first thing Porthos did was go straight to his water bowl...it was empty, so Trip filled it and a happy dog began lapping the water up. Once he was done, he went to his bed and flopped down with his head on his paws. Jonny had come over to the bed and got down and petted Porthos and was rewarded with a lick and a tail thumping.

They had gone to the bridge in the afternoon and Jonny had been overwhelmed. The crew on the bridge had been accommodating to the young boy who was their captain and answered all his questions. Travis had even explained the warp controls on his helm. Trip had smiled and was there to keep Jonny from getting under foot and had been quite surprised at how much he had been interested in Malcolm's tactical console.

"So the phase cannon's can be activated at a moments notice."

Malcolm was showing him the display and Jonny was listening intently.

"And you get to shoot them?"

For a moment the look on Malcolm's face showed surprise, then he looked at Trip and then said

"Well, only if the captain gives the order and only in battle."

Jonny seemed very impressed with the armory officer and said in a very soft voice

"I'm not sure I could blow up anything...I just want to be able to explore the stars. My daddy says that we should meet new people and explore and..."

He stopped and turned to Trip and continued

"He says that meeting new people is what we should do."

Trip smiled and said

"Well we do, we meet lots of new people and learn all about them."

Now he beamed as he went over to Trip and said

"Do you think we will meet anyone new while I'm here?"

Trip grinned and said

"You never know we might."

He had taken Jonny's hand and was moving towards the center as he said

"How'd you like to sit in the cap'n chair?"

Jonny stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at Trip with a slightly apprehensive look on his face as he said

"I don't think I should, he might get mad at me."

Trip looked at the boy as he said

"Don't worry...like I said he's my best friend and I know he won't get mad."

"Why haven't we seen him? A captain should be on the bridge, right?"

Jonny looked up at Trip with inquiring eyes. Trip looked around the bridge and everyone present just averted their eyes. He wasn't going to get any help from them. Finally he said

"Well he's sorta been...not feeling so well, so he's been restin'"

He hoped that would satisfy him. He continued

"Now lets see how you look in the big chair."

Jonny looked at the chair again and said

"You sure he won't get mad?"

That was the second time the boy had been a little scared at something he perceived would be wrong and it had entailed an authority figure. Trip had lifted him into the captain's chair, and watched as Jonny sat there, his feet barely going past the seat, wondering why Jon seemed so uncomfortable whenever he mentioned anything about the captain. Did he somehow know that he was the captain? Trip didn't think so, but he also wanted to get to the bottom of this uneasiness. He was about to say something when the lift door opened and T'Pol walked onto the bridge. When she saw Jonny she stopped and just raised an eyebrow at the child.

No one was quite sure how it happened, but the boy had almost flew out of the chair and had moved behind Trip as if he was frightened. He clung to Trip's leg and barely peeked out from behind, staring at T'Pol. She had not missed the look on his face and had raised both eyebrows and then calmly said

"Perhaps the bridge isn't the place for the child..."

She trailed off and looked at Trip who had a bewildered look on his face. In fact all the bridge crew were shocked. It looked like Jonny was scared of the Vulcan first officer. Trip looked down and saw the look he was giving T'Pol and said

"Maybe we should go check on Porthos, what do you say?"

He took his hand and they moved towards the turbo lift, Jonny keeping Trip between him and T'Pol. Once they left the bridge, the silence was broken by Travis as he said

"What happened?"

T'Pol was silent for a moment and then said

"It would seem that the captain's...distaste for Vulcan's began at an early age."

Now Hoshi spoke up

"But sub commander, that was fear, not...why would the captain fear Vulcan's?"

Hoshi had a concerned look as she said it. She had seen the first look that had come upon his face and it was fear and he had almost fallen when he had jumped out of the chair. She thought for a moment and then said

"It was almost like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't and was..."

She didn't want to say he was terrified, but it reminded her of a child afraid of being punished for bad deeds.

"I'm sure the commander will talk to him."

T'Pol said as she moved towards the captain's chair. This was the signal for them all to get back to work, so they all turned and resumed their duties.

As T'Pol perched on the edge of the chair, she got a thoughtful look on her face. What could have happened in the captain's early life to have caused such fear? Why was he acting this way? She hoped Trip could find out. She had become very close to Jonathan and it bothered her that he was afraid of her. She knew that both of the captain's parents were no longer living, so she couldn't contact them to find out. She knew there was nothing in his records to give her a clue. Oh he had distrusted Vulcan's and even disliked them when they had first launched Enterprise. In fact, he had even threaten to 'knock her on her ass' the first time they met, but in the last five years, they had grown to first be comrades and then close friends. But he had never shown any fear of the Vulcan's he had come in contact with, just the opposite, a contempt of them. Something was buried deeper and she wanted to know what. Maybe if she contacted Admiral Forrest he could shed some light on this. But first she wanted to talk to Trip about this.

It was 2230 and T'Pol was just coming off shift. It had been a long day, and she wanted to meditate, but first she needed to talk to Trip. He had called her a half hour ago and asked her to come to the captain's quarters,that they needed to talk. She had questioned his decision to meet there, but he had assured her that Jon was asleep, that Phlox had given him something to help him sleep.

He had told her that he had taken the captain to sick bay after they left the bridge. He had started to shake uncontrollably and he had been worried. Phlox had given him mild sedative and said it was just an anxiety attack. Phlox still had no answer to what had happened to the captain and how to reverse it, but said he was still working on it. Trip had the feeling that the doctor was on to something, but was not ready to share it yet.

She arrived at the door and hesitated. She still wasn't sure it was such a good idea to talk to Trip here, but she couldn't think of any where else, since Trip seemed content to look after the captain at this time. She raised her hand to ring the chime and almost before she could do so the doors opened and Trip was standing there. He stepped aside to allow her to enter and then followed her into the dimly lit room. She saw the captain fast asleep in the bed with Porthos curled around him his head laying on the boy's chest. She also noticed that his hand was on the dog's back as if he had fallen asleep stroking the dog. Porthos raised his head and thumped his tail a few times at her before laying his head back down. It was obvious he was protecting the child.

"I'm glad you came darlin' I need to talk to you about the cap'n"

Trip said as he sat down on the couch. She perched next to him and said

"What did you find out? Why does he seem...frighten by me?"

He could see the strain around her eyes and knew this was troubling her. In the past few years, she had come to admire Jonathan and he knew it hurt her even though she'd never admit it. He reached for her and drew her to him and she allowed herself to be settled in his embrace. She laid her head on his shoulder and allowed him to begin to gently stroke her arm as he began

"When we got back from sick bay, I was worried at the reaction that he had displayed. He was still shaking some and seemed ready to jump at every noise. Good thing Porthos was here. He immediately attached himself to Jon and would not let him out of his sight. He even kept an eye on him as I got him cleaned up and ready for bed. And you can see, he won't leave him. I swear that dog knows something isn't right."

Trip looked over at the dog who just watched them with his soulful brown eyes.

"Any way, once I had Jon settled I asked him what was wrong. At first he wouldn't tell me, but finally I got this story out of him."

He began to tell the story to T'Pol,who listened with a concerned face.

"So he was playing with his dog and just chasing like any other kid would do, and as he turned the corner of the hall, he accidentally ran into what he said was a very large, stern Vulcan. The force of the collision knocked him down and as he looked up he saw the face for the first time. He said it was the most frightening face he ever saw. The Vulcan raised both eyebrows and stared at him. He said he was scowling at him..."

"Vulcan's do not scowl."

"But to a young child, it could look like a scowl. All he knew was that he had done something bad. Well I guess at that point, Henry Archer came into the room, he had been getting some of his drafts for the engine and he saw his son on the floor and well for some reason the Vulcan began to berate Henry about the behavior of his son. Henry just got Jon up and said he was just acting like any other human child would and shooed Jon off. As Jon was leaving the room, the Vulcan began expounding on Vulcan youth and how they would never act like that and Jon said the sound of his voice was what scared him the most. He was afraid the Vulcan was going to hit his father so he rushed back and started to yell something about not hurting his daddy and I guess the Vulcan shoved Jon and he fell and broke his arm."

T'Pol was shocked. No Vulcan would be so disrespectful to their host, and no Vulcan would hurt a child. On Vulcan, children were regarded highly. She now looked at Trip with what could only be disgust on her face.

"For a Vulcan to do this to a child is unthinkable. It is the height of...arrogance."

She turned to look at the captain sleeping so peacefully and felt a pang of... guilt? Since she had been with the humans, she had not only allowed her emotions to surface somewhat but the captain and Trip had even encouraged it. She looked at Trip and he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Don't worry darlin' the Archer's reported the situation to the Vulcan Consulate and the guy was sent packin' back to Vulcan. Seems he had an intense dislike for humans."

He said the last with a bit of satisfaction in his voice.

"Jon said he couldn't understand why the Vulcan hated him. He said he was afraid of him and the look in his eyes as he shoved him. I guess as he grew up, he turned that fear he had into the intense feelings of distrust and dislike for the Vulcan's. Funny, he never told me this story before, I never knew his arm had been broken at such an early age. I guess he just sort of buried the incident deep down and now, it must seem so fresh to his mind that the fear is coming out."

She nodded and then said

"What can we do about this fear? I know it is something that happened in the captain's past, but we should do something to help now. I don't like seeing that look..."

She trailed off and Trip knew how much this was affecting her. They had begun a relationship after the death of his sister, Lizzy and it had grown in the years. He could read her like a book and he knew that all the 'no emotions' the Vulcan's touted were not so. This woman had them and she was not afraid to show them when she was alone with the two closest friends she had on this ship. Now one of them was in trouble and she wanted to help him.

"I'll be taking Jon to sick bay tomorrow so the doc can check him over. I'll talk to Phlox about what I found out."

They settled down and didn't speak for a while, each enjoying the company of the other. Finally T'Pol had excused herself stating that she really needed to meditate before she went to sleep. Trip had seen her to the door and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before she had left him. He turned and walked back into the cabin. They had decided that unless a dire emergency came up, he would be off duty for a while till they could figure out how to fix this. He had complete trust in his team and Lt Hess to take good care of his beloved engines. He walked over to the bed and gently sat down. He looked at the captain sleeping peacefully. He reached out and brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and said softly

"We'll figure this out Jon, somehow it will get fixed."

He got up and tucked the covers in and then slowly got ready for bed.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N **Sorry it's taken so long for an update, and this chapter will be shorter than normal. I'm in an online training class for work, and have been quite busy with that. I have just not had time to write for the last few weeks. But I promise I will finish this story no matter what. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed this story. I really appreciate it.

Chapter 4

The next morning in sick bay, Phlox had examined the captain and said he was doing fine. Jonny was busy watching all of Phlox's animals so the doctor took this opportunity to speak with the commander about the situation.

"Tell me Commander, have you noticed anything different about the captain?"

"Huh?"

"I mean have you noticed anything in his appearance?"

Trip looked over at Jon and studied him for a moment. Then he said

"Now that you mention it, he does look like he's grown a bit."

The doctor nodded and continued

"With the first scans and tests I ran, I was unsure of how this was going to resolve. Would the captain begin to just grow up as he had done, would it be something we could reverse? But as I began studying it, it became clear that the captain would indeed begin to grow up again. When you brought him in yesterday, I was surprised that the scan was different than the ones I'd already done. It was like he had grown a bit too. I do not think we would be able to reverse the effects without putting him back through that anomaly, which I do not recommend."

Trip nodded and said

" No way would I allow the cap'n to go back through that thing. Come to think of it, I did see slight changes, but I thought it was my imagination. So what are you saying Doc?"

"That to the best of my knowledge, the captain is aging approximately one and a half years for every week that goes by. His memories are intact and seem to be coming back to him as he ages. This incident with T'Pol, you said he became quite fearful when he saw her on the bridge yesterday, but if you remember, when he first got back on board from the shuttle, he was not uncomfortable in her presence. I took the liberty of checking the captain's childhood medical record, and it states he was treated for a broken arm when he was six."

Trip considered it a moment and then said

"So he wasn't afraid of Vulcan's until after that episode in his life, and when he had reached six he remembered his fear?"

"Essentially. As he ages, more and more of his memories will surface. I think he may have other problems to sift through before he comes back to normal."

"So, if he's aging at a rate of one and a half years a week, it would be...a little over seven months till he's back to normal?"

"That is what I think is going to happen. It will be a little unsettling to the captain and you really need to help him along with this. He may become agitated and he may just voice his..."

Here Phlox paused as if looking for the right words to express his thoughts. Trip filled in the silence and said

"Displeasure right? I know the cap'n has strong opinions and ideas, heck it's what makes him such a good captain and leader. But he can have a temper when he gets mad. "

"Yes, I've noticed. He is a man of strong emotions and believes."

They both turned and watched as Jonny began to peek into the cage that held Phlox' lizard. He peeked a little closer, and as the cage rattled he leaned back and then turned to the two adults and grinned.

"He certainly has a healthy curiosity for things."

Phlox was watching the boy as he moved closer to the cage. Trip just smiled and said

"Yeah, Jon once told me his father told him his curiosity would get the better of him some day, and I guess his desire to explore that anomaly was it."

"Well I think at least till he matures some, you will need to be with him to answer any questions he has. Unless there is an extreme emergency, I'd like to put you on half days so you can spend more time with him. I believe Ensign Sato would also be a good one to watch him while you are in engineering."

"Hoshi is smitten with him, Jon always had a way with the women. I guess it started early."

Trip was now openly grinning from ear to ear. Phlox walked to the intercom and activated it and said

"Phlox to Ensign Sato, could you come down to sickbay as soon as possible? I need to discuss something with you."

Hoshi replied almost immediately

"Sure doctor, I'm on my way."

The com was disconnected and Phlox returned to stand beside Trip. Jonny had come over to Trip and was telling him about the lizard

"And it poked its head out of the leaves and looked at me!"

He seemed excited to see it. Trip had watched as the color came to Jonny's cheeks as he talked, the look of wonder on his face. The doors to sickbay opened and Hoshi walked in. Jonny saw her and ran to her and said breathlessly

"Hoshi guess what? The lizard poked his head out and looked right at me!"

Hoshi smiled and said

"How exciting, you know it took five months before he did that for me."

Jonny danced and said as he took her hand and lead her over to the others.

"He just looked at me and then his eyes made a funny blink and he went back into the leaves!"

Now Trip bent and lifted the boy up and placed him on the bio bed. The look of excitement was just glowing on his face as he grinned at them all. Now Phlox said

"Jonny, I've asked Ensign Sato here to ask her a favor. Commander Tucker will need to spend half days in Engineering, so I thought while he was there, Ensign Sato could keep you company. What do you think?"

Jonny suddenly got a thoughtful look on his face as he thought about it.

"Well, I guess so...but can't I just go to engineering with Trip?"

"Jonny, engineering is not always safe, and I couldn't always be there to make sure you don't get hurt. What if there was some type of emergency?"

Jonny thought about that and then said

"I guess so."

He looked a little downcast but then looked at Hoshi and said

"Do you think Travis could come visit too?"

She smiled and said

"Of course, when he isn't flying the ship."

Jonny smiled back and said

"Do you think he would teach me to fly a star ship?"

Now Trip said with a chuckle

"I thought you wanted to grow up to be a captain?"

Jonny looked at him as if he had two heads and said

"Well, a pilot can be captain to...right?"

"Sure he can. Maybe Travis can give you some pointers."

This came from Hoshi. Jonny was beside himself with glee.

Phlox now said

"Okay, I think it best to have the Ensign take the morning shift and then Commander you take the evening one, so you will be there at night. Does that seem okay?"

Both officers nodded and they got a big nod from Jonny. Trip took and placed him down on the deck and as he did, the doors to sickbay opened again. They all turned to see who was coming in and as Jonny saw who it was he suddenly froze. He watched as T'Pol walked in and as she moved closer, he immediately put Trip between himself and T'Pol. He reached up and took hold of Trip's leg and hid behind it. Instinctively, Hoshi moved next to Jonny and laid her hand on his shoulder, but he would not budge from where he was. He looked at T'Pol with fear in his eyes and she tried hard to soften her facial expression. It seemed to work as the iron grip on Trip's leg lessened.

"Commander, I would like to speak with you a moment."

She kept her eyes on the captain, and Trip turned as best he could and knelt down and said to Jonny

"Why don't you and Hoshi go to the mess hall for some breakfast and I'll join you two after I speak with T'Pol, okay?"

He looked at the boy, who was still afraid of T'Pol, but he looked up at Trip and nodded. Hoshi said

"Come on Jonny, lets go see what Chef has for breakfast."

She reached out her hand and he took it, but he still kept Hoshi between him and T'Pol. They left and both the doctor and Trip thought they hear T'Pol let out a breath. Even though she was a Vulcan and not many of the crew could read her, Trip knew it was bothering her that the captain was afraid of her. She looked rattled.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

T'Pol watched as the captain and Hoshi left sickbay. She was just about to turn to the other two when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It felt reassuring and she turned to face Trip. She looked into his eyes and saw the calm and gentle look he gave her. For the hundredth time since this had happened, she was glad to have him at her side. He always knew how to calm her and steady her when things got to be too much. Now she said

"I have been in contact with Star Fleet. Admiral Gardner called this morning wanting an update on the captain's condition. Ambassador Soval was with him."

Trip blew out a breath and said

"Soval was there? I suppose now he is looking to get Enterprise back to Earth and..."

Before he could finish T'Pol said

"The Ambassador was present on Earth at the time the captain...broke his arm. He remembers the incident well and is requesting to meet us in three weeks to try and help."

"And just how does he expect to help?"

Trip was not too happy that the Vulcan wanted to get into the middle of this. From everything Jon had ever told him about his encounters with the ambassador as a child it wasn't good, and it never seemed to get any better. So why would he want to help now? It could only mean something bad.

"According to the ambassador, when he first met the captain, it was a few weeks after he had arrived on Earth. He mentioned that the captain was a normal earth child and that he had been polite to him and had not shown any resentment towards him. But after this incident, he noticed a change in his attitude."

Trip let out a chuckle and said

"I'll bet. After having dealings with that..."

Before he could continue, he saw the look on T'Pol's face and said

"Okay sorry. It just makes me mad to think that anyone would treat a child that way."

"Yes, I understand, but what has happened, we can't change, we can only hope to help the captain now. Maybe we can get the child to understand now what he has learned over the last four years that all Vulcan's are not out to destroy his dream of space exploration."

Trip stood there for a moment and then he said

"You're right darlin, sorry I got a little heated there. It's just Jon's my best friend...best friend I ever had. He's like a big brother and I have always looked up to him. It's hard to see him like this...although I have really enjoyed getting to know the child in him. You know, it was always there, that same child like wonder of the universe."

T'Pol nodded. Even from the first time she had laid eyes on this 'illogical' human back on Earth, she had seen that lust for exploration in him. As she had gotten to know him better, she had also come to admire him and she knew she would also protect the 'child'.

"Well we have approximately three weeks till they arrive. From what Phlox has said, he'll be eleven years old by that time, so we have a lot of work to do. I just hope he can handle it all."

She raised an eyebrow at him and for the first time in a while she allowed a faint smile as she said

"He's Jonathan Archer...He'll adapt."

"I hope you're right. From what he's told me, he use to call Soval Mr pointy ears behind his back."

That comment got him both eyebrows raised.

When Hoshi and Jonny got to the mess hall it was already crowded with people. Jonny immediately saw Malcolm and Travis and made a bee line to their table.

"Hi Mal, Travis can Hoshi and I sit with you?"

Travis grinned and said

"Sure you can."

Malcolm was a little uneasy around the captain and didn't say anything until he saw the look on the child's face. He was looking at him with a hopeful look and finally Malcolm relaxed and smiled and said

"We'd love to have you eat breakfast with us."

He was rewarded with a brilliant smile from Jonny. Hoshi had joined them and now said

"Lets get our breakfast and then we'll be back."

She led Jonny over to the food, and they both got what they wanted and returned to the table. Jonny carefully placed his plate on the table, then climbed up to eat. Malcolm was surprised that what the child had chosen was similar to what the man would have chosen, eggs,bacon, toast and a glass of orange juice. The only thing missing was the mug of coffee. Now he was happily eating. Malcolm looked at Hoshi and smiled. He was beginning to get use to seeing the captain this way, but he also hoped that Phlox was right and that they would soon have their captain back. Malcolm took a bite of his breakfast and said

"Where's the commander this morning?"

Before Hoshi could speak, Jonny said without looking up from his breakfast

"He's talking to that mean lady."

Hoshi stopped and said

"Jonny, T'Pol is not a mean lady."

Without waiting he said

"Yes she is...all of them are. One of them pushed me and I fell and broke my arm...all of them pointy eared people are mean."

Jonny continued to eat as if what he had said was complete truth. As far as he was concerned they were all the same. Travis looked at both Malcolm and Hoshi and then said

"Jonny, T'Pol is second in command of the ship and the captain considers her a great help in commanding this ship."

Without a blink Jonny said

"Then the captain is stupid. They're all mean."

"Jonny!"

Hoshi was shocked that he would say that. Travis was coughing trying not to laugh and Malcolm had a twisted look on his face. Jonny looked at Hoshi for a moment with a defiant face, then his face lost all its anger and he dropped his head and said quietly

"I'm sorry, Hoshi, I shouldn't have said the captain was stupid. Please don't tell my mom and dad. They will punish me if they found out. And don't tell Trip...I think he likes that lady."

Hoshi tried to look stern, and looked at the other two sitting there and was about to ask what was so funny, when it hit her. The captain had just called himself stupid. Suddenly, she couldn't help herself she began to laugh. Now Travis couldn't hold it back either and began to chuckle too. The more Hoshi laughed, the more Travis laughed. Malcolm was able to control himself but he was smiling. Jonny just looked at them, letting his eyes rest on each, a look of confusion on his face. What were they laughing at? He didn't understand. Then he thought that they were laughing at him. His face fell even more and tears formed in his eyes and slid down his cheeks. His new friends were laughing at him. Why would they laugh at him? Maybe they weren't his friends after all. He quickly got up and ran out of the mess hall intent on going to be with Porthos. As he ran towards the quarters he was sharing with Trip, he could hear Hoshi calling out to him, but he didn't stop, all he wanted now was to get to the dog.

When he reached the door and quickly entered the code to open the door and rushed in. Then he quickly locked it and, breathing heavily, turned and saw the beagle right next to him with a worried look in his kind brown eyes. Something was wrong with his master, and he was determined to make him feel better. Jonny went to the middle of the room and slumped down and buried his face in the scruff of the dogs neck and began to cry in earnest. Porthos practically wrapped his body around his master and whined as he tried to comfort him. After a moment, the door slid open and Hoshi, Travis and Malcolm came in but stopped short as the small dog began to growl and bear his teeth at the three. No one was going to get close to his master. He didn't know what was wrong, but he wasn't letting anyone near his master.

Hoshi had never seen Porthos act this way, and tried to approach, but the dog refused to let her. He moved to place himself between the captain and the others still snarling. She stopped and gently said

"Jonny, what's wrong? Why did you run off like that?"

He didn't answer her. He was clinging to the beagle and he felt safe. Porthos was his friend and he knew that he would protect him. And he wanted Trip. Trip was his friend and would also protect him.

"Please Jonny why are you crying?"

Hoshi was close to tears herself. To see her captain so upset was something she wasn't use to. All she wanted to do was scoop him into her arms and comfort him, but Porthos wouldn't let them near to the boy. Finally they heard a muffled voice say

"I...I...don't want to...to..talk to you...I want...Trip."

This was more than Hoshi could take and she now broke down with tears of her own. She turned and began to leave and as she got into the corridor, she came face to face with the commander.

"Hoshi what happened?"

Trip looked concerned and seeing Hoshi in tears, he wasn't sure what to expect.

"He doesn't want to talk to me...he wants you."

Trip turned towards the door and as he did he said

"Wait here, I'll see what happened."

As he entered the room, he could hear Porthos and saw both Malcolm and Travis standing there. He looked between the two other men and the dog and saw that Jon was still wrapped around the small dog.

"Porthos..stop."

Trip said a little sternly. The dog let out a whine and thumped his tail a bit as he watched Trip. Trip was family and he obeyed him, but he still eyed the other two with a small growl. Trip turned to them and said

"Why don't you two wait with Hoshi and I'll get to the bottom of this."

They nodded and went to wait outside the quarters, the door sliding close behind them.

Trip turned and looked at the boy and his dog. He could see by the body language of the boy how upset he was and he could tell by the relaxed body language of the dog it was okay to approach them. He slowly walked over and settled down next to Jon. He was still clinging to Porthos, but now was using the dog as a pillow instead of hiding his face. Taking a deep breath Trip finally said

"Tell me what happened."

At first Jonny said nothing, then barely above a whisper he said

"They laughed at me...I...I thought they were my friends."

Trip looked at him in surprise.

"They laughed at you? Why would they laugh at you? Are you sure they were laughing at you?"

Trip couldn't believe that the three of them would laugh at the captain. They all respected him and he knew they looked up to him.

"They did! They laughed at me!"

Once again he buried his face in the dog's fur and Trip saw the hackles begin to rise on Porthos' back. He gently place a hand on Jon's back and began to rub it. Watching Porthos he saw the hackles begin to settle.

"Okay, why don't you tell me what happened."

Jonny finally turned to face Trip and said

"We went to the mess hall for breakfast and when we got there Mal and Travis were there so I asked if we could eat with them. We got our breakfast and then when we sat down, Mal asked where you were and...I...uh...said you were with..."

He stopped and looked at Trip with embarrassment but with the encouragement on Trip's face he continued

"I said you were with that mean lady."

He hide his face again in Porthos. Trip thought a moment and then said

"You mean T'Pol? Jonny, T'Pol is not a mean lady. She is well respected on this ship and she has been a big asset to the Captain and crew."

With a muffled voice he said

"When I said the captain was stupid to like her, well they laughed at me."

For a moment Trip was silent then he said, a little mirth in his voice

"You called the captain stupid?"

By now, Jonny had climbed into Trip's lap and now he hung his head and nodded. It took all of Trip's control not to laugh. The idea that Jon was calling himself stupid was funny. He could now understand what had happened. Wrapping his arms around the boy, he said

"They weren't laughing at you, Jon, they were laughing at what you said."

Jonny still wasn't sure what to think.

"You mean what I said was funny? I don't understand. If my mommy and daddy were here, they would punish me for saying something so bad."

Trip said gently

"Well, its hard to explain at the moment, but lets just say it was funny."

"Please don't tell the captain I called him stupid. If he heard what I said he'd be really mad at me."

Trip knew that as soon as Jon got back to normal, he full well was going to bring it up and tease him on this, but for now he just said

"Don't worry, the captain would understand. Now can you do me a favor?"

Jonny looked at Trip and nodded.

"I want you to try and get over this notion that all Vulcan's are mean okay? T'Pol is a great lady and she is very worried about you."

Jonny thought for a minute, a confused look on his face and then said softly

"She is? Really?"

When Trip nodded he screwed up his face and thought for a moment before saying

"Okay, I'll try. I know you like her very much. Are you gonna ask her to marry you?"

That question threw Trip. He looked at Jonny and sputtered

"Now where did you get that idea?"

"Well whenever she's around you get a goofy look on your face."

For the umpteenth time, Trip cursed Jon's power of observation, something he seemed to have developed at a very young age.

"Well that's something we can talk about later too. Now lets go tell the others that we are alright."

Trip got up with Jonny still in his arms and walked towards the door, Porthos on his heels.

TBC

**A/N**

**Sorry it took me so long to get this update out. Things have been pretty hectic, but I promise I'll be better.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As it turned out the Ambassador and Admiral were delayed by two weeks. Jon was now sixteen and was beginning to resemble his old self, although his hair was longer and lighter in color. His green eyes sparkled and his sense of humor was now legendary on the ship. He had been behind some elaborate pranks, and the crew had come to expect anything from him. The crew was surprised that their captain had such a sense of humor, having seen him during their mission to destroy the Xindi weapon. It turned out that the captain was simply a clown. He loved trying to make the crew laugh, and he usually succeed. He was now allowed to work on the bridge, shadowing Travis at the helm. They all knew the captain was an excellent pilot, and that he had learned early to pilot so he excelled at the helm. He now spent four hours on the bridge every day and during that four hours, anything could happen. The bridge crew enjoyed having the captain back with them even if he was an exuberant teenager as he kept them entertained with his jokes and stories. As he aged, more and more of his memories were surfacing and he loved telling them to the crew...all but the embarrassing ones.

He had,since that day in the mess hall, come to really like T'Pol and his special delight was trying to get her to smile. He would take every opportunity to do it. Once, she had let a slight smile grace her lips, but almost immediately took on her usual Vulcan face, but not before the bridge crew saw it. Now Jon took great pleasure even when she would look at him and raise an eyebrow at his antics. He loved teasing both her and Trip about their relationship, but never in public. He had come to think of Trip as a big brother and liked him more than anyone else on the ship. Being an only child it had been great to have Trip to talk to. He really didn't know that the relationship was really the other way around and Trip looked up to Jon as a big brother, that Jon was twelve years older than Trip.

Trip had been having a ball getting to know his best friend as he grew up. The last five weeks had been great, learning all the ins and outs of his friend. He knew that this side of Jon was something he'd never been privy to. When they had entered the Expanse, it had changed Jon. He had become so engrossed in the mission to find the Xindi weapon and save Earth, that he had pulled away from the crew and became moody. He had been forced to do things that Jonathan Archer would never consider, but he'd done them to make sure they succeed in their mission. Trip had seen the changes in his friend, and now it was so good to see the boy untouched by the weight of command and the fact that the fate of their world rested squarely on his shoulders. And Trip had watched a deep bond of friendship develop between Jon and T'Pol even stronger than the one they had forged before. It had been a shaky start. At first, Jonny had had a hard time getting past his experience with his broken arm, but after a couple o weeks, he had started to warm up to T'Pol. It had been hard on T'Pol too. At first, Jonny had just tolerated her presence and had only spoke to her in one and two word sentences. He had stared at her most of the time with a thoughtful look on his face. Trip knew it had been hard on her, but he had been there to give them both moral support. And Porthos had also been there to give Jonny his support.

It wasn't till the third week that Jon had started to warm up to T'Pol. He began asking questions and soon would seek her out to talk to her. Trip had begun letting them get together alone, and soon Jon had told him that he thought T'Pol was okay. It had happened last night as they had returned to the captain's cabin. Jon was sitting on the bed, playing with Porthos and Trip had sat down on the couch. Trip was no longer sleeping there, but he spent time with the captain.

"Trip."

Jon said with a thoughtful look on his face. Trip looked at him and saw a younger version of his friend. He smiled as he said

"What's on your mind Jon?"

"I guess I just want to say that you were right...about T'Pol."

Trip looked at him and said

"And what was that?"

Trip knew what he was going to say. He had watched the interaction between the two this last week and had seen the change in Jon's attitude.

"Well, that T'Pol is a nice lady. I should never had blamed her for what had happened."

After a moment he continued

"I guess all Vulcan's aren't bad."

He looked at Trip, and grinned. Trip smiled back and said

"I'm glad you finally came to that conclusion. T'Pol's a special lady."

Jon watched the look on Trip's face soften as he thought of the science officer and he got a mischievous look in his eyes.

"So when are you gonna ask her to marry you?"

Trip looked at him and said

"What makes you think I'm gonna ask her to marry me?"

Trip knew that he had gotten very close to her and had finally admitted to himself that he indeed did love her, but he had never thought of marriage. After they had returned to Earth, he had went with her to visit Vulcan and had met her mother, T"Less. It had been awkward but he had actually liked her. And then, to save her mother's career, she had gone through with her marriage to Koss. It had been hard to watch her get married and it was at that very moment that he had admitted to himself how he really felt about her, how he so enjoyed their sometimes heated conversations. But maybe when Jon was back to normal, he'd consider the idea. He was pretty sure that T'Pol liked him, but did she feel the same about him as he felt about her? He wasn't sure. He watched as Jon rubbed Porthos' ears and saw the tail thumping on the bed. The dog loved to have his ears rubbed and Jon never disappointed him. Now Jon said nonchalantly

"Well maybe she's just waiting for you to tell her how you feel."

He slyly looked up at Trip, a small smile gracing his face. He has broached the same subject with T'Pol just yesterday, and she had raised an eyebrow at him, but had not seemed put off at the idea of being with Trip. In fact, she had hinted that it would not be undesirable. Now Trip was staring at Jon with a startled look on his face.

"And just how would you know that?"

He had a feeling that Jon was playing matchmaker with them, and that he had planted a bug in T'Pol's ear. At the thought of her ears, he again got a soft look on his face. He loved the elegant curve of her ears and longed to take his finger and trace them. He came out of his daydreams when he heard a little laugh from his captain.

"Well maybe..."

"Oh come on Trip I know you like her and I believe she likes you. Why aren't you two dating or something?"

"It's not that easy. After all we serve on the same ship and the Cap'n..."

He stopped mid sentence and looked at Jon. For the last two weeks, Jon had been more and more curious about the captain, and why he'd never seen him. He had asked a thousand questions about it and now he was getting even more animate as to why he never saw the captain, and how a star ship could function without the captain. Trip wasn't sure what to tell him. Now Jon said

"Why haven't I ever met this captain? Why is he so secretive? Is it something I've done so he doesn't want to meet me?"

Now the look on his face had fallen a bit.

"And you told me that Porthos is the captain's dog, so if that's true, this must be the captain's quarters, so where is this captain and why has he let me stay here?"

They were all good questions, but Trip didn't know what to say. They had never really discussed how to tell Jon and when to tell him. When he was little, it was not a problem since Jonny had assumed that the captain was elsewhere doing his duty, but now it seemed strange to him that he had never met or seen the captain. Trip looked at the green eyes that looked back at him and sighed. Maybe it was time to tell him what had happened.

After a moment, Trip slowly got up and walked over to the communicator and opened the link and said

"Tucker to sickbay, Doc could you come to the Cap'n's quarters please, and can you get T'Pol too?"

After a moment, the doctor's cheerful voice answered and said

"We'll be right there Commander."

Trip broke the connection and blew out a breath as he turned to look at Jon. This wasn't going to be easy, but maybe it was time to tell him what had happened. At least then when the Vulcan ship arrived in ten hours, it would be easier for Jon.

"Why did you ask the doctor and T'Pol to come here?"

It was obvious that Jon was confused as to why Trip had called for them.

"Well because what I need to tell you, they are a part of and I just thought it would be better to have them here."

Trip was still not sure how he was going to tell Jon the whole story. As he was thinking on how to proceed, the announcer rang and he was glad that he was saved from any other questions from Jon at the moment.

"Come."

Trip said and the door slide open. Phlox's smiling face appeared and behind him was T'Pol who looked at Trip with a raised eyebrow.

"Commander, Jon how are feeling?"

Phlox said in his cheery voice. He gave Jon his wide grin and then turned to Trip and said

"So are you going to explain all of this to Jon?"

Phlox had been urging them to do so for the last week. Trip looked at the doctor and nodded. Now Jon said as he sat up straighter

"Tell me what? What's going on Trip?"

He looked at each with questions in his eyes. What was up? Why did he have the feeling that what Trip was going to tell him was going to change his life? He finally said

"Please tell me what's going on."

Trip finally sighed and said

"Jon what we have to tell you may seem unbelievable, but its what happened. I want you to listen to the whole story before you say anything, okay?"

Jon looked at him and nodded. Trip sat down on the bed next to Jon, as both T'Pol and the doc had sat on the couch. Trip was silent until Jon reached out and touched his arm and then he drew a breath and said

"About six weeks ago, we were exploring an anomaly that was giving off some unusual readings. We were getting all the readings we could when the Cap'n decided we needed to get closer. He wasn't ready to risk the ship, so he decided to take the shuttle pod to get closer."

At this point, Trip stopped and was silent. He remembered that morning and how he had argued with the captain about going by himself. So many days he had wished he had won that argument, but then now they'd be dealing with two crew who had changed. T'Pol took up the conversation.

"The Captain refused to risk anyone else, so he launched by himself. When he reached the anomaly, it began to fluctuate and then pulled the shuttle pod in and it disappeared."

She watched the emotions as they passed over the captain's face. He was beginning to look shocked, so she continued.

"After a couple of hours, the shuttle pod reappeared and we were able to grapple it back into the ship, and we all went to the docking bay and when we opened the shuttle we found...you."

Jon looked stunned. He frowned as what he was hearing began to sink in. After a moment, he said quietly

"I was in the shuttle? So I changed places with the captain? How is that possible?"

It was plain that he was not wanting to believe the fact that was the situation. The look of confusion on his face was clear. Now Phlox spoke up

"When we found you, you were quite scared and we were at first surprised to find a child instead of the captain. But when I ran a scan of you I discovered that your DNA..."

Before Phlox could finish, Jon said

"I'm the captain...right?"

He looked at them with a determined look on his face, and for the first time since this had happened, they were seeing their captain. Now Jon began to speak almost to himself

"That's why I've never met the captain...why I'm living in his quarters..."

He looked down at Porthos and the dog looked up at him with devotion in his soft brown eyes and thumped his tail and continued

"Why Porthos hasn't seem to miss his master."

He suddenly gathered the pup up into his arms and buried his face in the fur and held him close. Suddenly it was all too much to take in and he needed the comfort of his pal. Porthos seem to sense the change of mood and began to lick him and whimper. Then Trip said

"Jon, I think you need some time to absorb all this. I think we'll leave you alone, but I'd suggest you may want to access your logs and..."

He didn't continue as they all rose to give the captain some space. As they made their way to the door, Trip turned and said

"If you need to talk, just call."

They left him there on the bed as he still gripped Porthos and tried hard to grasp what had happened to him.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jon sat there for a few moments hugging Porthos and soaking in the comfort of his pup. The dog also seemed to sense the change of his master's emotions, so he stayed close and continued to lick his master. Finally, Jon let go of him and leaned back to rest his head on the back of the bed. He sighed and then looked back at his dog, who continued to look at him with those soulful brown eyes.

"Well Porthos, I guess this answers a lot of questions huh?"

The dog again thumped his tail on the bed and moved closer so his head rested on his master's lap.

"How can I command a ship like this as a teenage boy?"

Jon began stroking the dog's head as he continued to think out loud

"These people deserve a Captain who can lead them and I don't know if I can."

A small tear slide down his cheek, and he quickly wiped it away and berated himself for crying. A captain didn't cry. Why was he crying? He was sixteen and he shouldn't be crying right? He took a deep breath to settle himself. He began to think of his father.

Henry Archer had died when he was fifteen, and he had cried then. He had looked up to his father and missed him very much. His mother had had a rough time of it after his dad had died, and he had done everything he could to make it easier for her. He suddenly realized how much he missed his parents.

The door chime rang and quickly Jon wiped his eyes and then took a deep breath.

"Come in"

He said and as the door opened, he saw not only Trip and T'Pol, but also a Vulcan he knew along with the man who had taken him under his wing after his dad had died, Captain Forrest. But looking closely, Forrest seemed older, and the Ambassador looked older also. He moved to stand and Porthos whimpered a bit at being dislodged from his position. Jon quietly said

"Down Porthos."

The dog obeyed and went to his cushion and flopped down and kept his eyes on his master. Admiral Forrest was the first to speak as he said

"Jon, its good to see you...although not like this."

Jon watched the admiral and the ambassador and he saw the look of pity in the admiral's eyes. The look on the ambassador's face was harder to detect, but he thought he saw...compassion? That look quickly disappeared and the stoic expression of a Vulcan returned.

"Captain, it is good to see you again."

Soval said as he looked at the Captain. He watched him to see how he was handling this situation. He began to remember the boy he had first met at age six. He remembered that the child had been quite curious and had a love for understanding the wonders of the universe. At the time, he had wondered where this child was headed for. Then the incident of the broken arm had occurred and he had watched him grow more angry and distrustful of the Vulcan's. And as he had grown, the distrust had strengthen to the point of openly challenging all the Vulcan's had done. He knew that Archer blamed his people for the delay of Henry Archer's warp five engine, and he knew that Archer had a deep seeded resentment against him. It was something he hoped to resolve.

Now Admiral Forrest came over and placed his hand on the teen's shoulder and said

"We stopped to see Dr Phlox first, and he thinks that you will just continue to grow and within the next two and half months, you'll be back to normal"

He smiled at him and continued

"I know you'll be glad to get back to yourself"

Now Soval said

"Yes Captain I'm sure you will be fine.

Jon looked at Soval and he was sure for the first time that Soval was actually being sincere. He watched him for a moment and then he seemed to relax and said

"Thank you. It will be good to get back to myself"

He looked for the first time towards Trip and T'Pol and smiled and continued

"Although, my perception of the Vulcan people have change."

Soval raised an eyebrow and looked at T'Pol who just gave a slight eyebrow raise to him. She said

"The Captain has been learning about how Vulcan's can be...acceptable. Commander Tucker has been instrumental in helping that along."

Now Jon actually laughed at this and said

"Well lets just say that I have an appreciation for a certain first officer and she has been able to help me with certain misconceptions of the Vulcan people."

Forrest smiled at than and again Soval raised an eyebrow as he said

"Captain, I would be quite interested to discuss this new development with you. This may be a second chance for us."

"I would be glad to discuss it with you. I do hope we have a second chance also."

Now Forrest spoke up and said

"Well, I think that Jon needs to get some rest. This has been a stressful time."

"Yes, I agree We will talk later Captain."

Soval agreed. Now Trip spoke up

"We need to get the Admiral and Ambassador to there quarters to rest too."

Now Forrest gripped Jon in a bear hug and said

"It's good to see you and we will talk later."

"Yes sir. Thank you for coming."

He then turned to Soval and said

"You too Ambassador. I look forward to speaking with you."

Jon smiled at him and Soval inclined his head and said

"I to Captain, look forward to our talk."

They all turned to leave and as Trip was last to leave, he turned and grinned at his Captain as he left and now Jon was alone. He stood for a moment and then let out a sigh

"Well Porthos I think that went well."

He looked at his pup and then he went to his bed and laid down and immediately Porthos jumped up and went to his favorite spot by his master and laid his head on his lap. Jon began to stoked his head and said

"I am tired...its been a lot to take in. I think I will rest."

He continued to pet his dog and after a moment, he drifted off to sleep, and so did Porthos.

TBC

**A/N I am sorry this has taken a long time to update. On Sept I was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and has to have an operation. The Dr said she had gotten 98% out of me, but I also have Chemo to go through which I had my first session on Wednesday this week. The good thing is I have not had any side effects and feel great! I look at it this way, I only have 2% to fight and as the Borg say **

"**Resistance is Futile...You will be assimilated"**

**I hope to be able to update again soon **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As it turned out, both Admiral Forrest and Soval stayed for eight weeks. The Enterprise was in route to Earth, as they decided that this was a good time to do some much needed updating to the computer systems and weapons systems,which Malcolm was excited about. It was a time for Jon to reconnect with his mentor, and to realize how much he looked up to him. They had spent many hours just talking and laughing. Soval had joined them often and had learned a lot about Captain Archer and had seen what the young man would have been like if that incident with his broken arm had not happened to him. He began to regret the broken arm and how he had handled it at the time it happened.

Many times, Trip was included, and he truly enjoyed the stories of how Jon had grown up and the many antics that he learned about his best friend. Sometimes T'Pol would join them and she found that she actually enjoyed the banter between the men. Even Soval seemed to enjoy the get togethers. Jon had even caught him in a slight smile at a story that he and Admiral Forrest had told.

"So, I though my dad was sleeping upstairs and I was quite pleased with myself that I had gotten away with sneaking in when all of a sudden I hear his voice say 'You're in big trouble young man' "

Trip was now laughing out loud and Admiral Forrest was smiling as he remembered the incident.

"When I turned around, he was quite mad. I knew I was in trouble by the look on his face. That look always meant trouble."

Soval was now trying not to smile as he listened to this story of the antics of this man. He was beginning to realize that this was a unique person. He had a special way at looking at things and Soval realized that was what made him a good captain and now he saw why his crew looked up to him and followed him. He was beginning to see this man in a new light.

"And what do he do?"

Soval inquired. He had worked with Henry Archer and found him to be an honorable man. Jon looked at him and smiled

"I was grounded for a month and he had me working in the yard for that month. He knew I hated to work in the yard, and he had me out there everyday for three hours after school and on the weekends, it was five hours! I think he thought up new jobs everyday!"

Trip and Admiral Forrest were still laughing. Now Trip said

"Cap'n, how old were you?"

Jon looked at him and said very seriously

"Ten... I thought I could get away with sneaking out to go see the new space port and see the ships, but what I didn't count on was that the last transport vehicle left the port at eight pm. I missed the last one by ten minuets so I started to walk home."

"And you walked all the way home?"

"I did. Took me three hours and I got home way after ten pm. I had just started to go up the stairs when dad appeared."

Jon was petting Porthos as he remembered that day.

"I really liked the space port though...Saw lots of ships and even got to board one. Saw the bridge and I got to sit at the pilot's consul as at the time I wanted to be a pilot."

Jon now got up and went to feed Porthos, as the dog was giving signs of being hungry. As he was finishing up with the food, he heard

"Phlox to Captain Archer, can you come to sickbay please? I have some news about this condition you are suffering with."

Jon immediately replied

"What's up Doctor? What's going on?"

He looked at the others in the room and they saw a concerned look on his face.

"Nothing Captain, I have been checking the last checkup on you and I believe I have good news for you."

The frown on Jon's face relaxed and he said

"I'll be right there."

He looked at the other people there and said

"Lets go see what Phlox has."

They all filed out of the Captain's quarters and the Captain, Admiral Forrest and Soval headed to sickbay, while T'Pol headed for the bridge and Trip went to engineering, both needed to attend to business. They had been heading to Earth at warp two and although they had met a couple of ships, neither was hostile.

Phlox looked up as the sickbay doors opened and saw not only the Captain but Admiral Forrest and Soval with the Captain.

"Ahh, Captain I am glad you're here, I have some news for you."

He turned to both the Admiral and the Ambassador and said

"I'm glad you're here too as this news is good."

"What have you found out?"

Jon was curious as to what Dr Phlox had to tell him. Now he turned to the Captain and continued as Jon sat on the bio bed.

"Well as you know, I've been studying this phenomenon that has overtaken you and I think I've found some interesting facts."

"What have you found Doctor?"

This came from Admiral Forrest. Phlox turned to him and continued

"As you know, since you have been on board Enterprise, the Captain has has two checkups, and I'm please to announce that..."

He turned to look at the Captain as he finished

"you are now aging faster and I predict that within three weeks, you will be back to the age you were before the anomaly."

He gave the captain his wide grin. For a moment, Jon was silent and then he said

"What happens then?"

"Well Captain, you should revert back to your usual rate and just begin to age as you did. I see no reason to suggest any different scenario."

With that, Jon let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He looked at Admiral Forrest and saw a wide grin on his face and Soval had a...pleased look on his face and for the first time in his life he realized that the Ambassador wasn't all that bad. He smiled at them both and then said to Phlox

"Thanks Phlox for sticking with this. I really appreciate your diligence in this."

Phlox again grinned but not that wide one that always seemed to give the human crew a weird feeling and said

"I couldn't do any less Captain."

He laid a hand on Jon's shoulder as the captain stood up from the bio bed. As Jon moved to leave he again thanked Phlox. He hadn't realized how worried he had been that once he had reached his normal age that he might continue to age quickly and then that would mean... No he would not think of that. Both Soval and Forrest followed him out of sickbay.

Jon was sitting in the mess after hours as he thought about the last few months of his life. It seemed like ages since that anomaly and his change. But he was glad that he was almost back to normal and he was glad for that. He took a sip of his coffee and looked out the window at the stars streaking by at warp two. He never tired of watching the stars. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The mess hall was empty and the lights were low. He took a second sip of coffee and was just thinking when the mess hall doors opened and someone walked in. He turned to see who it was and was surprised to see the outline of Soval, who paused a moment in the doorway. A soft voice broke the silence

"Am I disturbing you Captain?"

Soval moved into the mess hall and then moved over to the beverage dispenser and ordered a camomile tea. Once it was dispensed, he moved over to Jon's table and took the seat opposite Jon. He took a sip of the tea and Jon was sure he heard a sigh as Soval enjoyed the tea.

"You know, T'Pol enjoys tea also, she says it...relaxes her."

Soval raised an eyebrow but said

"I find it is...pleasing. Since I've been on Earth I have found humans seem to indulge in many diverse foods and drinks."

He picked up his cup and took another sip before he continued

"I have found this tea to have relaxing quantities and it helps me meditate."

Jon nodded and said

"T'Pol says the same thing, but I notice she drinks it at other times too."

Jon had gotten up to refill his cup and returned to sit back down. They both sat in companionable silence as they enjoyed their beverages. In the last seven weeks, Jon had gotten to know this man better and he felt that he had misjudged him for years. They had talked several times during this time and he had learned a lot about this Vulcan. He had found that he actually liked the older Vulcan, something he never would have admitted to during his 'other' life. Funny how a second chance could change your whole outlook on people. He was silent for a few more minutes before he said

"You know, Ambassador, I feel I owe you an apology."

Soval raised an eyebrow and said

"How so Captain?"

He seemed to genuinely be confused.

Jon continued

"Since I was ten, I blamed you for what I thought was Vulcan interference. I believed that you were behind what I thought of holding us back and resented it. I thought you delayed my father's warp five engine development because you did not want the human race to break the bonds of Earth. I know now that was wrong."

Jon took his last sip of his coffee and then slightly shoved it away from him. He stared at the cup for a moment and then looked up at the Vulcan. Soval's expression was thoughtful. Jon wasn't sure what the other man was thinking so he continued

"I also blamed you for the fact that my dad never saw his dream of a warp five engine come to completion. I actually thought you were against my dad and his engine."

Jon now seemed to be embarrass at his attitude towards the elder Vulcan.

"I treated you poorly and for that I'm sorry."

Soval now saw something he had seen the Captain do so long ago as he interacted with his father...he hung his head. So many times he had seen this when Jonathan had not known he was at the Archer's home and his father had admonished him for some comment he had spouted. He thought back to those days and realized how much Jon had looked up to and loved his father. And for the first time he completely understood the man before him. Had he'd been a Vulcan child, Soval realized he would have brought his family honor. He knew he brought honor to his human family.

"Captain...Jon... you are under the impression that Vulcan's take offense to...offense. That is an emotion."

He looked at Jon with a raised eyebrow. Jon began to chuckle. He was well aware that Vulcan's did have emotions, they just hid them better.

"None the less, your apology is...accepted."

Soval had also finished his tea and also had pushed the cup slightly away from him and towards Jon's cup. The symbolism was not lost on Jon. He knew at that moment that they had put behind them their differences and could now move forward. He smiled and said

"I'm glad we have this second chance."

Soval looked him straight in the eye and replied

"So am I Jon, so am I."

They settled down to a long talk of things past and things future.

The End

**A/N Thank you all for sticking with me during this trying period. I had struggles with this last chapter as I wasn't sure how I wanted to go, but I finally got it done. An update, my Chemo is doing well and the only two side effects I've suffered is the loss of my hair and leg cramps which come apox 2 days after a treatment and last apox 3 days. I feel very blessed these are the only side effects I have.**

**I still need to finish my Voyager story but will try to get to that soon. Again, thanks for your patience with me.**


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